Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac can smash Wrexham transfer record this summer as controversial EFL rule approved

Wrexham can smash their club-record transfer fee once again this summer - thanks in part to a new rule approved by the EFL.

The Red Dragons finished in seventh place in their first season back in the Championship, narrowly missing out on the play-offs on the final day of the season.

They spent heavily during the summer transfer window, including the club-record £10 million acquisition of Ipswich forward Nathan Broadhead.

Another £6.5 million was splashed out on Coventry midfielder Ben Sheaf, and £7.5 million on Manchester City defender Callum Doyle.

Perhaps the best value for money signing was Kieffer Moore, with the 33-year-old arriving from Bournemouth for £2 million before netting 13 Championship goals.

Wrexham will once again aim for promotion in the 2026/27 season, with manager Phil Parkinson set to lead them into another campaign.

Phil Parkinson has led Wrexham to three promotions - all consecutively - during his time as manager (Image: Getty)

The Welsh side would have already been planning to spend big in order to achieve that aim - but they have now been helped even further by an EFL rule change.

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What is the new EFL rule and how does it help Wrexham?

The governing body has agreed to impose a new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rule for all Championship clubs, which replaces the previous Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules.

The new system limits clubs to spending a set percentage of their income - 85 per cent - on 'player and manager-related costs' per season.

Owners can invest up to £33 million towards this outcome over a three-year period, to a maximum of £15 million per season.

Put simply, the clubs who earn more commercial and matchday revenue will be able to spend more on transfers and wages - which means it hasn't gone down particularly well with fans of clubs further down the revenue table.

Wrexham recorded commercial revenues of £17.33 million in the most recent financial year, alongside £5.08m in retail revenue and £5.96m in matchday revenue.

Those numbers were significantly boosted by the 'Welcome To Wrexham' documentary broadcast on Disney+, shown by a £4m increase in commercial revenue from the previous season.

And their rapid rise has brought fans from all over the world to the Racecourse Ground to watch matches in person, with many buying merchandise from the club.

Most importantly, the most recent financial report covers the 2024/25 season when Wrexham were in League One, meaning that, while wage bills will have been significantly higher this season, their revenues will inevitably have increased as co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac continue to look for ways to diversify the club even further.

Which players could Wrexham sign?

What that means in terms of the transfer market is that Wrexham will be free to spend significant amounts of money again, should they decide to.

They were linked with a stunning £19 million move to sign Angers striker Sidiki Cherif in January, which would have been a Championship transfer record, though Parkinson appeared to play down the legitimacy of those links.

Their only concrete summer target so far appears to Leyton Orient striker Dom Ballard, who came through the Southampton youth academy.

The 21-year-old kept Orient in League One by scoring 21 goals and winning the EFL Golden Boot award, with Richie Wellens' side avoiding relegation by three points.

Journalist Alan Nixon reported in April that Orient were using the £15 million fee Birmingham paid to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham in 2024 as a benchmark for what they believe Ballard to be worth.

Given Fulham were a Premier League club at the time and could therefore hold out for a higher fee, though, it remains to be seen whether Wrexham could negotiate that figure down to a smaller amount.